


Nacht's Redemption

by doodlerTM



Category: Hustle Cat (Visual Novel)
Genre: AU, Gen, Graves & Avery are in a QPR, Post-Canon, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:15:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26383237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doodlerTM/pseuds/doodlerTM
Summary: Nacht breaks the curse and meets with Graves again.
Kudos: 5





	Nacht's Redemption

Every time Nacht tried to walk to the cafe, he turned into a fucking cat. 

He hated cats deeply and always had, but becoming one just made his skin crawl.

For days after Graves cursed him, he came back. He watched the movement in the third story window and knew that Graves saw him. He replayed their last moments in his mind and barely ate or slept. 

Finally, Nacht snapped out of it. _Fine,_ he thought to himself, _if he wants to be left alone so bad, I'll let him._

Since he'd spent so much time obsessing over Graves and trying to find him over the past couple years, Nacht found his free time was finally – well, free. At first the realization terrified him, but then it became a relief. He hadn't realized just how much of his life he'd devoted to pursuing someone – hunting someone – who had tried desperately to make it clear that he didn't want him.

Nacht began filling his time with other things. He started to slowly make friends at his job at the construction company, and got back into watching sports again. He stopped using his magic – it was useless for anything than intimidation and destruction anyway – and bought new clothes. He took up boxing and thought about Graves less and less. 

Nacht had good days and bad days. But gradually, the good days started outnumbering the bad ones.

Then two things happened. 

The first thing he noticed was when he had to sign some dumb OSHA paperwork for a yearly certification at his job. He signed his name as they were finishing up a workshop and idly put his hand on the paper. Nacht felt his hand tingle but thought nothing of it. At the end, the instructor called for the paperwork and he looked at his paper. 

It had been folded – by him, completely by accident – into a paper star. By _his magic._ Nacht hurriedly unfolded it before turning it in. 

He tested it out again in his apartment and made several origami animals and paper planes. Nacht wasn't sure how to feel. He wasn't ecstatic or jumping for joy, but he realized that he didn't hate his magic anymore. 

The second thing happened as Nacht was walking home one night after watching the game at a bar with some friends. He didn't go around this part of town very often, it was late and he was deep in thought. 

He got an intuitive tug to look up. 

There it was, A Cat's Paw, the neon sign spilling over the block.

Nacht checked his phone calendar. It was November 1st – Graves' 40th birthday. His instinct was to call Graves – but then he remembered that he'd deleted Graves' number from his phone. Nacht wouldn't even know what to say. Happy birthday? Sorry?

Nacht stood there dumbly for another moment before Graves himself appeared in the doorway, out of breath from running down the stairs. 

“You broke the curse,” Graves said. “Thank goodness.”

When Graves had first cursed him, Nacht had imagined this moment over and over again, of them meeting again. But it hadn't gone quite like this – with Graves in pajamas looking... relieved? Grateful?

Nacht panicked and ran down the street. 

Back in his apartment, Nacht laid on top of his bed in his clothes in the dark, disgruntled. He realized, suddenly, that all those years together he'd spent projecting his own emotions onto Graves. He'd expected Graves to be angry just then, because _he_ would have been angry. 

Graves wasn't like that at all, and Nacht knew it.

He sat like that for hours, and formulated a plan.

\--- 

A week later, Nacht was waiting for Graves in a cafe with a box in his lap. Not A Cat's Paw; they'd spoken on the phone and both agreed that it would be in poor taste. Not to mention that half the staff still remembered the beating they'd received from Nacht the last year and weren't exactly ready to welcome him with open arms. 

Graves entered and ordered them both coffee. Nacht put the small square box on the table. “Happy belated birthday,” he said somewhat awkwardly.

“If you don't mind, I'd like to open it later,” Graves said. “I want to hear about you, first. How are you, Nacht?” he said in that genuine, soft voice of his. 

“Why?” Nacht blurted out, surprising both of them. “I don't understand why you're so nice, Graves. Ya shoulda killed me that night and now you're taking me out to coffee, jus' like we were friends all over again.”

“We are not friends again,” Graves said firmly. “Though I hope we could be.”

Nacht stared at the box that Graves had set down. “Open it,” Nacht pleaded. “Please.”

Graves shot him a look of concern but opened the box anyway. Recognition flashed on his face. “Oh,” he said. “I'd forgotten all about this.”

It was a paper and metal sculpture – an intricate paper boat being carried away on a metal sea. They'd made it together at least a decade ago. It was the only thing that Nacht had that was tied to Graves that he hadn't corrupted in anger. 

Graves was touching the paper boat, feeling the sails in between his fingers. “Such craft,” he marveled, “such skill.” He looked up at Nacht. “You used to despise this so much,” he said sadly. 

“I don't hate it anymore,” Nacht said. 

“I hoped that was the case,” Graves replied, smiling.

“I don't know how I feel about it, but I don't... hate it.” Nacht looked away. “I wanted you t' have it,” he added. “I didn't want you to have ta say that... I'd taken everything from ya.”

“You didn't take _everything_ from me, Nacht,” Graves said. “Please, give me a little bit more credit than that.”

“Well, I took almos' everything,” Nacht admitted. 

“I took it back,” Graves said. “Well, Avery helped me take it back from you.”

“Yer apprentice? The, er, kitten?”

“Yes.”

“How... um, how are they?” Nacht felt so awkward. 

Graves smiled. Nacht got the feeling that he couldn't help himself. “You _have_ changed some, haven't you?” he said. “They are fine. We are doing quite well, actually. My relationship with Avery is... different than ours was. We are partners, not lovers.”

“'S that so,” Nacht mumbled. 

Graves pushed the box back to Nacht. “Keep it,” he said. “I wouldn't want you to say that you didn't have a memento to remember me by.”

They talked for a little while longer, but Nacht still felt bad, and graceless compared to Graves, who if nothing else seemed to be happy. Happier than Nacht had really ever seen him.

But to be honest, Nacht was happy, too, in his own life. If not happy, then at least on the way there.

It would have to be enough for now.


End file.
